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ASC.ARMY.MIL 61
carbon electrodes has the potential to be
a very big deal.
Starting this year, we are also working
on molten lithium sulfur for grid stor-
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important to the Army to manage power
and energy in a smart way by reducing
logistical burdens, increasing generator
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renewables. But using renewable energy
requires storage; hence the need for new
storage solutions.
REDUCING SOLDIERS' LOAD
What can a Soldier expect to have in the
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night vision, guidance system, lasers,
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battery. The average Soldier carries 16
pounds of batteries for a 72-hour mis-
sion. Depending on the Soldier's role in
a platoon, it could be up to 32 pounds of
batteries. The more electronics Soldiers
carry, the more batteries they're going
to have to carry. Our research has the
potential to substantially reduce the bat-
tery weight, allowing for Soldiers to carry
more ammunition or water.
Everything we do at the lab is done with
the consideration of empowering, unbur-
dening, and protecting Soldiers. Our
main goal is to support the Soldier, whose
needs are more stringent than what is
needed commercially. For instance, Sol-
diers need batteries that operate in a wide
temperature range, from -40 degrees to
+70 degrees Celsius. Commercially, bat-
tery users generally are looking at a range
of -20 to +40 degrees.
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temperature-related. Working on the
fundamentals and looking at the inter-
face allows us to understand what limits
operations at low temperatures. Through
that understanding, we have been able to
develop these new additives and materials.
We have been able to make only incre-
mental improvements over the years,
however. Typically, improvements in
energy density have averaged about 1 per-
cent a year, with a few step changes, such
as the emergence of lithium-ion batteries.
Ultimately, we believe batteries will start
looking more like fuel cells, such as the
metal air batteries, or semi-fuel cells.
OVERCOMING LIMITATIONS
What limits us? Right now the Lithium
145 battery, which the Army uses, is rated
at 145 watt-hours per kilogram. Our goal,
which is achievable, is to increase that to
300 watt-hours per kilogram.
In battery chemistry, we are limited by
the periodic table, with lithium on one
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thermodynamically constrained by the
amount of power and energy that we can
develop in a battery.
To counter that, we are looking at new stra-
tegic areas by designing systems to allow
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in any environment using indigenous or
other available sources such as wastewater.
Some of our new programs are looking
at how we could make fuel out of water.
One of our long-term goals, for example,
is to determine whether we can split
water and make hydrogen that could be
used as fuel in a fuel cell or small engine.
Nature splits water, taking water and car-
bon dioxide and making energy. We are
trying to short-circuit this process and
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proteins that are found in spinach, for
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RESEARCH IN ACTION
Dr. Kang Xu, Senior Research Chemist at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), is one of the
inventors responsible for an electrolyte additive that allows batteries to operate at a previously
unheard-of 5 volts, opening the door to a whole new class of batteries and voltages. (Photo by
Conrad Johnson)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY